Tag Archives: Deerhunter

A quick Google search with the words “Best of 2010” returns a mere 2,720,000,000 results.

In a world where the once-rare “overshare” of personal experiences, opinions and preferences has become the norm (think Brittney, Wikileaks, Facebook and TMZ), we are now saturated with minutiae. Do you really care about your coworker’s “Top 10 Green Teas for Autumn” list? Or your cousin’s ongoing quest to order and eat every Applebee’s entrée in a calendar year?

For those who willingly contribute such intimate details to the collective conscious of public discourse through blogs, Twitter, Facebook and online forums, the motivation is simple. Documenting these once private details helps us to both define who we think we are, and how we would like others to see us. But what about those of us who readily consume this information? Why do we care about another “Year’s Best” list? And perhaps more perplexing, why can’t we stop ourselves from reading these lists?

Part of the allure is the ease in which we can take in the information. Our motivation as a consumer/audience is likely similar to the contributor’s intent – to help define our tastes, to compare desires and interests with our peers, and perhaps find a new source of material for our own lists and “must have” suggestions.

Where does that leave us today? For each of the last five years, the Great River Radio staff has welcomed the chill of December in Minnesota with great anticipation. Of course, we look forward to spending time with family and loved ones, celebrating religious rites and traditions, and even seeking solitude in these busy times. But the turn toward winter also brings two of our favorite annual radio shows of the year – the holiday music show and the “Best of” show. Today on Great River Radio we will offer our contribution to the year-end list … with a twist. Instead of adding to the meaningless cesspool of “Best Of” entries, we will offer something far more subjective – our “Favorite Albums of 2010.” Feel free to take in the music as just another year-end list or send us your suggestion for favorite albums we may have missed (or purposely omitted). That way we can skip the music monologue and start a dialogue.

Tune in from 4:15-5:45 p.m. today and you’ll hear one of Great River Radio’s most anticipated shows as we play selected tracks & MP3s from our ”Favorite Albums of 2010” list:

Playlist
Wide River to Cross-Carrie Rodriguez Love and Circumstance
National Ransom-Elvis Costello National Ransom
Angela Surf City-The Walkmen Lisbon
And Now-JJ N° 3
The High Road-Broken Bells Broken Bells
Rhinestone Eyes-Gorillaz Plastic Beach
The Dreamer-The Tallest Man On Earth Sometimes The Blues Are Just A Passing Bird
Runaway-The National High Violet
From Above-Nick Hornby/BenFolds Lonely Avenue
City of Night-Bruce Springsteen The Promise
Dillinger Eyes-Jeremy Messersmith The Reluctant Graveyard
You’ll Be Bright-Cloud Cult Light Chasers
The Sweet Part of the City-The Hold Steady Heaven Is Whenever
We Used to Ride-Arcade Fire The Suburbs
Futile Devices-Sufjan Stevens The Age of Adz
He Would Have Laughed-Deerhunter Halcyon Digest
Someone’s Gonna Rescue You-Neil Young LeNoise
Surely-Black Dub Black Dub
Airplanes-Local Natives Gorilla Manor
Sweet Talk Sweet Talk-The New Pornographers Together

“Grapefruit moon, one star shining, shining down on me.
Heard that tune, and now I’m pining, honey, can’t you see?
‘Cause every time I hear that melody, well, something breaks inside,
And the grapefruit moon, one star shining, can’t turn back the tide.”
– Tom Waits

As we are moving into a bundle of “seasons” – transitions – the holidays, winter, semester finals, year-end, we look into the sky and see a bright and beautiful full moon. This is the first of two full moons in December of 2009 making the second a “blue moon,” and making this a special month which marks the beginning of the end of the first decade of the twenty first century. The days in Minnesota are short and the nights are long and perfect for listening to music.

Back from our Thanksgiving break, we will be in the studio this afternoon with Great River Radio spinning this week’s mix of songs including something from the debut album by Mumford and Sons, who can do British Americana like no one else – as well as music from Atlanta’s Deerhunter, and Minneapolis’ Halloween, Alaska. We’ll have new music from Norah Jones, Diane Birch and Laura Veirs and favorites from GRR friends Steve Earle, Tom Waits, Randy Newman, Cloud Cult and something from the Pixie’s classic album “Doolittle” this year celebrating its twentieth anniversary.

Speaking of anniversaries, Great River Radio will soon be airing its 100th show – as we approach that milestone, we will be planning some special themes. One idea we’ve had is to review the most important records of the last ten years. Start to give that some thought – we’ll be interested in your ideas.

For now, please join us this afternoon as we play a mix of music about short days, endings, moons, trains, and, of course, rivers.

Great River Radio will be live today from 4-6 p.m. (CST)

Playlist
Many Rivers To Cross-UB40
99 and 1/2-Mavis Staples
The Cave-Mumford and Sons
So. Central Rain-REM
Walkabout-Atlas Sound
Never Stops-Deerhunter
Nothing But A Miracle-Diane Birch
Back To Manhattan-Norah Jones
Fetal Horses-John Vanderslice
The Ends-Halloween, Alaska
The End Is Near-The Fiery Furnaces
Never Tear Us Apart-INXS
Two Trains Running-James Cotton Band
Crash This Train-Joshua James
Little Lovin’-Lissie
Longest Days-John Mellenkamp
Days Aren’t Long Enough-Steve Earle
July Flame-Laura Viers
Everybody Here Is A Cloud-Cloud Cult
What Would I Want? Sky-Animal Collective
That Moon Song-Gregory Alan Isakov
Grapefruit Moon-Tom Waits
Feels Like Home-Randy Newman
Here Comes Your Man-The Pixies